Social Psychology

Social psychology examines the fundamental processes that underlie how individuals think, feel, and behave in situations that involve other people. This includes studying topics such as why individuals behave differently alone than in groups, how stereotyping and prejudice change over time, what makes a political speech persuasive, what are the factors that promote life satisfaction, and how people make inferences about others’ personalities. Training in the area of social psychology is applicable to real-world contexts and can help prepare students to enter careers in a broad range of areas including business, education, community service, and the media. Several faculty in the psychology department at NIU specialize in social psychology and offer courses related to their areas of expertise.